


Action

by Deonara2012



Series: Speed Urban Fantasy [3]
Category: 2NE1, Beast (Band), NU'EST, Speed (Kpop), Super Junior
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Werecreatures, Elves, Gen, M/M, Urban Fantasy, Were-Tigers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 14:30:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7466943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deonara2012/pseuds/Deonara2012
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They needed to find a place to sleep for the night. What they found became a nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Action

**Author's Note:**

> Not mine, not true.
> 
> I saw Nu'est's Action MV and it sparked... something. This fic right here is the reason for everything else.

Taewoon leaned casually against the wall of the convenience store, the alley stretching away to his right. People walked down the street to his left. Most of them didn’t notice him standing there. Scuffed up jeans and a black leather jacket helped him blend into the dim light of the alley.

A young man turned into the alley instead of going past it, in jeans and a hoodie, the hood pulled up over his hair. He stopped in front of Taewoon and grinned.

“Well?” Taewoon said

“This place looks ideal,” YooHwan said, long-fingered hands shoved in his hoodie pocket. “SeJoon said he doesn’t think anyone’s been there in months at least.”

Taewoon nodded. “It’s a place to start, thanks.” He stood up from the wall and whistled sharply. “Show me the way.”

YooHwan grinned, amused. “Of course, my leader,” he teased with a bow, and Taewoon slapped his shoulder and grinned.

They joined the other pedestrians walking down the street, and by the time they’d gone a block, the others had caught up. TaeHa and Yoosung discussed newts? Maybe? Taewoon decided not to try to figure it out. As their conversation topics went, that one seemed less odd than most.

“Does this mean we get to sleep without getting rained on?” SungMin asked from Taewoon’s other side, glancing up at the looming grey sky.

“Possibly,” Taewoon said. “Depends on what SeJoon found out.”

“Like if someone else is using it?” JongKook asked.

“Exactly,” YooHwan said. “But we’re pretty sure it’s empty.”

Ahead of them, Taewoon could see SeJoon leaning casually against the bank building, near the corner, as relaxed as he usually got. His white blond hair stood out against the dark brick. Every once in awhile he’d turn his head to look after someone who’d passed him. “So?” Taewoon asked when they caught up to him.

SeJoon fell into step with them, taking YooHwan’s place. “Nothing newer than a couple of months,” he said. “But something made me think of Yoosung-hyung, so I’d guess at some time someone did his brand of magic. It’s old, though, and someone tried to clean it up.”

“Old magic?” Yoosung asked, looking up from his conversation with TaeHa.

“I think so,” SeJoon said.

Yoosung nodded. “I’ll be prepared.”

It took some effort to get in, but they preferred that to something someone could easily spot. They had to squeeze through a wooden fence and slide in under a barely open garage door. JongKook started to sneeze as soon as he got in, and leaned against SeJoon until the fit stopped. Once they’d gotten in and brushed themselves off, it looked as good as YooHwan and SeJoon had said. Yoosung had started humming on the way in, and he didn’t stop when they got in. So used to it that it’d become background noise, they moved to the center of the room, taking it all in. It didn’t smell bad, just old and disused - so no one had spent the night pissing against the walls.

The humming stopped. “Nothing,” Yoosung said at Taewoon’s look.

SeJoon rubbed fiercely at his ear, then shrugged. “Must be too old,” he said.

“I like it,” SungMin said, prowling around the outside of the group. His voice echoed up, startling birds, which flittered about before settling down again.

Taewoon smiled.”YooHwan, SungMin, and SeJoon for. Any against?”

“It gives me shivers,” TaeHa said. “But nothing I can define.” Thunder crashed as soon as he finished speaking, and then rain began to pound on the roof.

“Enough for a nay vote?” Taewoon asked. SungMin moaned softly under his breath.

TaeHa considered, then slowly shook his head. “Cautious acceptance,” he said.

“Noted. If that changes, tell me,” Taewoon said. “Anyone else?”

“It’s good,” YooHwan said.

“Better than in the rain,” JongKook said, and thunder rumbled again, emphasizing his words.

Taewoon grinned. “I agree,” he said.

Before long, they had gathered some of the wood laying around - some of it half charred, from where someone else had built a fire - started their own fire, and started cooking. The collapsible pot came out of the backpack TaeHa wore, and food came out of large pockets and backpacks, everyone willingly sharing. SeJoon let out a gusty sigh when no meat came out, and JongKook laughed and ruffled his blond hair. “Maybe tomorrow,” he said.

“Maybe,” SeJoon echoed and grinned.

They ate gathered around the pot, spoons and chopsticks coming out as well, and by the time they finished, the fire had died down a little. The rain had slowed some, beating out something of a lullaby (helped by the lack of drips inside the building), and SeJoon let out a jaw-creaking yawn. “Are we going to stay here for a while?” JongKook asked sleepily.

“Possibly,” Taewoon said. “I can’t see a reason not to. We’ll have to see how it goes.”

“Like always,” Yoosung said wryly.

They stayed close to the fire, stretching out in just their clothes - in spite of the rain, the middle of summer never cooled down so much that they needed more - and dozing off. Taewoon didn’t even hear much conversation, but he didn’t feel much like talking at the moment, either. He could hear TaeHa had already fallen asleep when movement to his right roused him. “Hyung?” SungMin asked softly.

Taewoon rolled onto his left side, trying to find the maknae in the dark. “Yeah,” he said sleepily, and SungMin curled up next to him, his back against Taewoon’s chest. Taewoon curled around him. SungMin didn’t need the warmth. He needed the security, and Taewoon wouldn’t keep that from him. Eventually, he’d stop this. Probably.

The fire died further, and one by one they dropped off to sleep. The rain picked up, pounding harder, but none of them noticed, so used to the sound by now. The fire had become mere embers when SeJoon lifted his head sharply, looking around. Movement by the door caught his eye and he started to sit up.

A feathered dart thunked into his chest, and he brushed it away reflexively. Not soon enough. By the time he’d sat up completely, JongKook, sleeping next to him, had blurred, and the next second he slumped back to the ground.

 

Taewoon woke, unable to move and with no idea what had happened to SungMin. He found he also couldn’t open his mouth to speak or even make a noise, and although he could open his eyes, he couldn’t see anything. In a panic, he struggled to be able to move, to say something, anything, until he’d exhausted himself.

“Done?” a soft voice asked.

“No.” Oh, he could talk now? “Where’s SungMin. And the others.”

Something brushed up his bare arm (oh, crap, he wasn’t naked, was he?), tickling him, but he couldn’t move to get it to stop. “They’re right here, still asleep,” the soft voice said. “I’d show you, but I don’t want you out of this trap just yet. You still have a lot to tell me.”

“About what?” Taewoon asked, testing whatever bound him - probably a spell, possibly the magic SeJoon had mentioned. If they hadn’t left the warehouse. But he could only hear this voice, so he couldn’t tell.

“Your friends. Everything you know.”

“Why?”

“So I know what to do with them, of course,” the voice said, sounding cheerful.

“Let them go, of course,” Taewoon said, mimicking the voice.

Laughter rang in his ears, from two people. So two people occupied this web? Spider one and Spider two, he dubbed them, still testing to see if he could move. No luck so far. If he could just get Yoosung....

“Ah, that’s the sorcerer’s name,” Spider One said softly. “Thank you.”

They read his thoughts, too? Crap....

“Yes,” Spider One said.

Taewoon smirked then picked the loudest, most obnoxious song he’d ever written, and began to sing it in his head.

It didn’t really help; the spider could cut through the noise he made, but he kept trying because it was the only way he could fight back. He kept trying to move, but he had no luck breaking the spell either. By the time the spider had finished his work, Taewoon had exhausted himself again, and he couldn’t fight the gentle (sort of surprising) suggestion to sleep.

 

“So?” BaekHo asked, rocking back on his heels when Minki looked up.

“We’ve got a pretty diverse group,” the small blond said, and smiled. “This will be fun.” He glanced around at the men he’d caught, his smile turning into a smirk. “A sorcerer and a witch, four humans, and an elf.” He strode over to YooHwan and pulled the hood off, revealing delicate, pointed ears. “He’ll be a challenge, but no more than Yoosung.” He got up and walked around the circle of sleeping boys.

BaekHo grinned, pacing after him. "What are you going to do with them?" he asked.

Minki stopped and crouched down next to Yoosung, pressing gentle fingers to his forehead. "I'm going to let him control them," he said. "I can't read his mind - I'd probably better not even try - but I can compel him, and he knows best how to get them to do what I want."

Still walking after Minki, BaekHo stopped by SeJoon and snarled. "I don't like this one," he said, his voice a low growl. "You should get rid of him."

Minki stood up and walked over to him, brow furrowed. "Get rid of him?"

"Throw him in the river and let him drown. Let me rip his throat out, I don't care. I don't LIKE him."

Minki brushed a gentle hand down his arm. "Why not?"

BaekHo shook his head in frustration. "I don't know, it's just... something I can sense but not define. He feels... wrong."

Minki regarded him seriously. "Are you sure?"

At that, BaekHo faltered, glancing between Minki and SeJoon. "Mostly," he said, now less certain.

"If you are, I will get rid of him," Minki said. "Never doubt that."

BaekHo's tension eased. "I know," he said, and glanced at SeJoon again. "But you don't like killing without fun."

"You're right, but I can forego that if you feel this one will cause problems."

BaekHo hesitated, then shook his head. "I'll keep an eye on him," he said.

Minki reached up and scratched him behind the ear. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," BaekHo said, tilting his head so Minki could reach easier. He sounded much more certain this time.

"Very well," Minki said, petted him one last time, and then he turned to look over the sleeping boys again. "This may take a while," he said, kneeling next to Yoosung. "Keep guard for me?"

“Of course.”

For the next while he didn't move, his fingertips on Yoosung's forehead. BaekHo prowled around the circle, making sure no one woke up and no one interrupted from the outside. Finally, though, Minki pulled his hand away and sighed. Before he could move, BaekHo had joined him, offering a hand to help him up. Minki took it and got up, then stretched, arching his back. "I think I've got it. Let's move them to where we want them, and then we'll see how it worked." He smiled and BaekHo smiled back.

 

Taewoon woke slowly, mind fogged and slow. It took forever for him to realize he sat in a chair, slumped over, and he tried to move, to sit up. His fingers twitched, but nothing else moved.

Slowly, more sensations came to him: something tight around his elbows and wrists, his arms hanging about shoulder height to his sides; the same tight feeling on his thighs just above the knees, and on his feet, inside the shoes; his clothes felt unfamiliar, tight, and restrictive; he could feel tension at his waist and nape; and he couldn't hear anything. Eventually movement returned, and he discovered he couldn't swing his arms close enough together to grasp his hands, and his legs wouldn't allow him to stand yet. Opening his eyes merely showed pitch black, and he made no noise when he tried to call for SungMin.

More spells, he finally realized, and it made him sick. He realized after a minute, though, that it felt familiar. And that made him listen. Yes, so softly that he couldn't hear the words, Yoosung sang, so much background noise to them anymore.

Crap. Someone had gotten smart.

"Thank you," Spider One said behind him, near enough that Taewoon flinched away from him and nearly choked on the collar of his shirt. "Careful," the spider chided him. "No dying until I say so."

Where are my friends? Taewoon thought, as loud as he could.

"They're here," the spider said. "Not having a good time, naturally." A warm finger touched his forehead, and the black cleared from his eyes.

They hadn't left the warehouse, but it looked completely different than when he'd seen it last. Yoosung stood in the center of the warehouse, in a circle inscribed on the floor and glowing. His eyes stared blankly at nothing, song soft but filling the air around them.

YooHwan and SeJoon walked in something that looked like a metal framework, apparently not able to see that they could get out by merely ducking under a metal bar. SeJoon rubbed fiercely at his ear a moment, then his hand dropped back to his side. His steps never faltered.

"What do they see?" Taewoon asked, half surprised - and relieved - that he could actually speak.

"A maze," the spider said, still behind him, still out of sight. "They will stay there until Yoosung drains them. He's drawing on them to sustain his power, and YooHwan will last a long time." He paused ominously. "My friend doesn't like SeJoon. I can keep him safe there, and he won't last long."

Taewoon tried to turn, to see who spoke, but he couldn't get around to see him. Giving up, he tried to find the others. He spotted SungMin and TaeHa almost immediately, sitting against a wall not too far away from SeJoon and YooHwan. SungMin hugged his knees to his chest and rested his forehead on them. TaeHa sat more relaxed, legs stretched out in front of him, but his posture looked no less despairing.

"What did you do to SungMin?" he demanded.

"You're very close to him, aren't you?" the spider asked, his smile obvious in his voice, as well as innuendo. "Why is that?"

"It's none of your business," Taewoon snapped, trying to move again. He still couldn't, the wires binding him as strong as Yoosung's spell. "What did you do?"

"He's been left behind, can't you see that?" the spider asked. "Left alone."

Taewoon's hands fisted. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I can."

A white tiger paced not three feet from TaeHa and SungMin, and neither of them reacted. Taewoon watched it walk toward them, and stared as it shifted, mid step, into a tall young man with broad shoulders and blond hair. "I heard nothing," he said, and Taewoon guessed he'd named this one Spider Two.

"Excellent," Spider One said enthusiastically. "Thank you."

The blond nodded and strode off, out of Taewoon's sight. "Your friend?" he asked.

"Yes," Spider One said.

Taewoon struggled briefly to get free, but gave up before too long. "And TaeHa? What did you do to him?"

"He and Yoosung are friends, are they not? I can't imagine why your sorcerer would hang around someone with so little power. Yoosung ended their friendship as cruelly as possible, telling TaeHa everything he feared to hear from someone that powerful. It worked amazingly well, actually." The spider sounded delighted. "Crushed him completely. He won't even notice when Yoosung begins to drain him after SeJoon is dead."

Taewoon's fingernails dug into his palms. "And JongKook?" he asked.

"To your right," Spider One said, and Taewoon looked.

JongKook stood on something that actually looked like... the dais on a music box, something he'd seen on his mother's dresser that she'd kept from years ago. The mirror behind him enhanced the suggestion, as did the fact that he rotated slowly, although no music played. Manacles on his ankles bound him to it, and more at his wrists glittered it the light that shone down on him. He didn't stare blankly, his eyes aware but unseeing. "What did you do to him?"

"Oh, he's the entertainment," Spider One said. The cords holding Taewoon in place shivered like something moved them, and he looked up. He couldn't see anything in the darkness over his head, although probably they’d attached the wires to something up there. "He and you," Spider One corrected himself.

"Me?" Taewoon asked, and then the wires lifted him out of the chair as JongKook started to sing.

To his immense relief, no one actually saw him, hopefully not even JongKook. He realized they'd made him into a puppet, and Spider Two made him dance to the songs JongKook sang. Spider one moved into his line of sight, a slender man with blond hair almost the same color as SeJoon's, prettier than anyone Taewoon knew. Spider One thoroughly enjoyed the show, laughing and clapping along. Taewoon got to sit down for a while - JongKook resting his voice - while they traded places, then it started over again. It didn't matter how much he resisted, either, and it wore him out so much that he eventually just let the wires move him.

JongKook's voice had started to give out before they stopped, and when Spider One sat him back in his chair, he slumped over like he had when he woke up. After he got his breath back, he checked on his friends. He looked first at SungMin and TaeHa but they had barely shifted position. YooHwan still moved easily through the maze only he could see, but SeJoon stumbled now, looking exhausted. He rubbed absently at his ear, then had to stop to catch himself when he stumbled. Spider Two gave JongKook something to drink, which he gulped down, the chain at his wrists rattling with the movement. Taewoon closed his eyes, his head pounding, something pushing its way into his consciousness now that he had time to focus on it. Something familiar. A name. A name he needed to say. It pressed on him, harder and harder until he finally said it, just to see if doing so would keep it from splitting his head open. "Jungwoo."

Yoosung’s song stopped. So did the worst of Taewoon's headache. And SeJoon and YooHwan. TaeHa and SungMin looked up. JongKook dropped the cup and it clattered to the floor.

Spider One turned on Taewoon. "What did you do?" he demanded.

Taewoon stared at him, uncomprehending, the aftereffects of the pressing still aching in his head. "I said a name," he mumbled.

"Whose name?" Spider One snarled.

"Mine," Yoosung - Jungwoo - said, and sang just one note to dismiss the circle.

Taewoon saw the magic backlash into Spider One. The little blond flinched, staggered backward, and fell.

"Minki!" Spider Two yelled, and ran toward the fallen sorcerer.

Jungwoo sang again, a short familiar melody. A roaring filled Taewoon's already sore head and he cringed, unable to even press his hands against his head to keep his brain inside. By the time it cleared, Spider Two had helped Spider One - had he called him Minki? - to his feet. SeJoon flashed passed them at a dead run, heading to where JongKook stood. "Keys!" JongKook yelled, and SeJoon reversed direction in a move that would have dropped anyone else to the floor. TaeHa and YooHwan joined Jungwoo, who faced off against the sorcerer, and SungMin stopped in front of Taewoon. "Hold still, Hyung," he said, and began to work on freeing Taewoon from the wires binding him.

Taewoon remembered now, remembered everything. Who he was, who the others were - not homeless boys, but a team of hunters for just this sort of thing, working with the police. Jungwoo had worked with YooHwan to create new personalities for them, blocking out most of that information with a spell that no one had yet detected.

By the time SungMin got Taewoon free - a process that left him in boxers and socks - SeJoon had gotten a ring of keys, and he and JongKook tried to figure out which of them opened the manacles. Wordlessly, SungMin took off his own coat and handed it to Taewoon, who shrugged gratefully into it. Then he strode over to where the two spiders stood, Spider two holding Minki up. "You're the reason people have disappeared off the streets the last few months," he said. "For what? Fun? Entertainment?"

"They weren't important," Minki said. "No one missed them."

"Quite a few people missed them," Taewoon said. "Where did you put them?"

Minki shrugged. "The bodies are in the basement."

"Bodies? You killed them all?" Taewoon didn't wait for an answer. He knew what Minki would say. "TaeHa?"

TaeHa nodded and closed his eyes. He gave no sign that he noticed the soft conversation between JongKook and SeJoon, or that SungMin had slipped off, prowling around the area. Taewoon didn't take his attention off the two spiders, caught in their own web this time. After a while, TaeHa shuddered and opened his eyes. "Yes," he said quietly. "No life in any of them."

"How many?"

TaeHa shook his head, looking disturbed. "I didn't count."

Minki and his friend just shrugged when Taewoon looked at him. "Okay," Taewoon said, and looked back at TaeHa. "Is that what gave you the shivers when we first got here?"

TaeHa frowned, then hesitantly shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Hyung, here are your clothes," SungMin called.

Taewoon turned to look at him, then he looked back at Jungwoo and YooHwan. "Secure them," he said, and went to get dressed.

Halfway across the warehouse, a roar made him turn just in time to see SeJoon transform into a white tiger and slam into Minki, who looked stunned. YooHwan grabbed TaeHa and dashed away as the other blond, the one Taewoon had seen change once already, shifted as well and slammed into SeJoon in turn. The two tumbled, scratching at each other. JongKook grabbed Minki off the floor and shoved him at Jungwoo, then turned his attention to the fight.

 

SeJoon moved without thought, launching himself at the other sorcerer when he started to cast a spell at Taewoon's unprotected back, shifting mid-leap. He landed – on the floor, not the sorcerer - and barely had time to get his balance before the other tiger slammed into him, bowling him over. He twisted to get back to his feet, more tired than he'd expected. He shook his head and focused back on the other tiger just as it leaped at him again. He reared up to meet it, letting it bowl him over onto his back, this time raking its belly with his hind claws. It roared in pain and swiped at his face, drawing blood before he could shove it off.

It landed easily, gracefully, and paced around him as he slowly got to his feet. SeJoon shook his head again, trying to get rid of the pain. The other tiger paced closer, looking smug, its eyes never leaving him. SeJoon began to move as well, pacing opposite him. On the other side of the warehouse, near Jungwoo's magic, he could smell JongKook's worry. But he couldn't let it distract him, and, ever so subtly, began to shift his pacing so that eventually he stood between the other tiger and JongKook.

The tiger lunged at him and he met it half way. It knocked him over, and he rolled away before it could get a grip on his throat. It growled in frustration as he got back to his feet.

"BaekHo!" the other sorcerer yelled. "Him!"

The other tiger - BaekHo? - took its eyes off SeJoon for the first time, looking past his shoulder, and SeJoon knew exactly who the sorcerer meant. BaekHo lunged past SeJoon and SeJoon threw himself at him, knocking BaekHo aside, desperation coloring every movement. BaekHo rolled over and SeJoon pounced, catching him just right (so lucky) and closed his teeth on BaekHo's throat.

"Don't kill him!" the other sorcerer screamed, but SeJoon ignored him, ignored everything. This tiger had threatened part of his family, and he would pay. BaekHo fought, of course, digging furrows across SeJoon's chest as he bit down tighter and tighter. Finally, BaekHo stopped fighting and lay still, head tilted back.

"SeJoon." JongKook's hand ran over his head and pinned-back ears, avoiding the streaks of red from the first time BaekHo had clawed him. "Let him go."

SeJoon growled, but he stopped adding pressure to BaekHo's throat. Somewhere near the smell of Jungwoo's magic, he could hear the other sorcerer sobbing. He didn't care. He did care about Taewoon’s scent and familiar footsteps as their leader came near.

"Please," JongKook said, scratching behind his ear. "Let him go. Taewoon-hyung's right here to make sure he doesn't do that again. Come on," he added, but didn't pull at him. With a much-put-upon sigh, SeJoon released the tiger and stood up, unsteady. He followed JongKook away, for about three steps. Then the exhaustion and pain crashed in on him, and he sank down again.

JongKook pushed him over on his side, kneeling near his head. "How bad did he get you?" he muttered, fingers gentle on the scrapes on SeJoon's face. He moved next to the gouges on his chest, hissing when SeJoon flinched from him. "That looks bad," he muttered, shrugging out of his shirt to press it against the wounds to stop the bleeding. "We'll have to get you patched up."

SeJoon rumbled a purr when JongKook reached over, fingers automatically finding the spot behind his ear that he liked so much. He stretched out and closed his eyes, purr rumbling in his chest until he fell asleep.

 

“Is he okay?” Taewoon asked, one hand resting on JongKook’s shoulder.

“He needs patching up, but I think the face is superficial,” JongKook said, his attention on the tiger next to him. “The wounds in his chest were bleeding pretty bad.” He nodded at where he still pressed his shirt to SeJoon’s chest. “But it seems to have slowed down, at least some.”

“I’ll make sure he gets looked at,” Taewoon said. He squeezed JongKook’s shoulder and turned away, looking around the warehouse again. The two spiders sat against the wall he’d last seen SungMin and TaeHa against, bound with ropes. They didn’t look happy, but Taewoon didn’t really care. Jungwoo stood watch over them, probably the best one for the job. SungMin and TaeHa prowled around, investigating everything, and YooHwan trailed along behind, just as interested.

The garage-style door they’d slipped under opened with a screech of protest, and Taewoon turned to face it, wary of who might come in.

But Yoon DooJoon’s familiar face put him at ease, and the sight of his team helped Taewoon relax a little more. “Did you find him?” DooJoon asked when he got close to Taewoon.

“Them,” Taewoon said, feeling his exhaustion now, and gestured toward the two Jungwoo watched. “The bodies are in the basement, and SeJoon needs someone to look at him. Minki is a sorcerer, the smaller one, and BaekHo is a weretiger.”

DooJoon turned away and shouted a name. “He hurt yours?” he asked, pulling his phone out.

“A fight,” Taewoon said, aware that the others had gathered around him, all but Jungwoo, who still watched the two captives, and JongKook and SeJoon.

“The sorcerer started to cast a spell at Hyung when his back was turned, and SeJoon knocked him down to interrupt it. The tiger went after SeJoon,” JongKook said. He didn’t look up from SeJoon, which didn’t surprise Taewoon at all.

“Sir?”

Taewoon didn’t know this officer, but he did know the man’s discomfort when he saw JongKook and SeJoon. He didn’t listen to DooJoon’s instructions to the man, widening his stance when he wavered a little.

“Did anyone else see what happened?” DooJoon asked when the other officer had gone.

“Yes,” TaeHa said. “It happened as he said.”

“I can verify that as well,” YooHwan said.

“Good,” DooJoon said, sounding satisfied. His finger hovered over his phone keypad. “Doc or vet for SeJoon?”

“Vet,” JongKook said before Taewoon could pass the question on to him. “I don’t think he’d better shift, and he’s worn out anyway.”

“Done,” DooJoon said, and dialed.

“Thank you,” Taewoon said, and turned wearily away. With luck, they’d get paid well for this. He gestured to Jungwoo, free now that the police had taken the prisoners in hand, and waited until he’d joined them. “Good job,” he said, catching everyone’s eyes. “Any luck on finding what gave you the shivers?”

TaeHa shook his head. “Not yet, but I’m not done, either.”

“Keep looking,” Taewoon said. “Want help?”

“If YooHwan doesn’t mind, I’d like his company.”

“I don’t mind at all,” YooHwan said.

“Thanks,” TaeHa said, and they went off to finish the walk around the warehouse.

Taewoon looked at Jungwoo. “Is there any way to fix it so I don’t get that headache?” he asked, rubbing his left temple. The headache had retreated some, but his head still hurt.

Jungwoo shook his head. “Not really, sorry,” he said. “Anything else will make it obvious you’ve got a spell on you.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Taewoon said, and glanced toward JongKook and SeJoon. The tiger still breathed, at least.

“Excuse me, oppa,” a soft, familiar voice said, and Taewoon turned to smile at her. “Your tiger?”

“Chaerin,” he said. “It’s good to see you. This way.” He led the way over.

“You, too,” she said, and Taewoon’s smile widened.

JongKook looked up when she knelt by SeJoon, and his shoulders, tense with worry, eased. “Is there any more than this?” she asked, indicating the wounds on SeJoon’s chest and face, pulling the blood-soaked shirt away from the wounds. SeJoon didn’t move.

“Not that I’ve noticed,” JongKook said. “He’s exhausted though.”

Chaerin nodded, most of her attention on the gouges in SeJoon’s chest. “He needs stitches. He should be able to shift, as soon as the anesthetic wears off.”

“Thank you,” JongKook said.

Taewoon glanced around to find TaeHa and YooHwan going around the cube Minki had said was a maze for YooHwan and SeJoon. The two prisoners had gone, probably with DooJoon, who he couldn’t see either. They’d started to bring out the bodies as well, perfectly preserved, most looking like they’d fallen asleep. Considering what he knew, Taewoon thought they probably had.

“That’s not creepy,” SungMin said sarcastically, stopping next to him.

Taewoon lay an arm around his shoulders. “Will you be okay?”

“Probably. I hope this is the worst of our assignments,” SungMin said, turning his back on the steady stream of corpses coming out of the basement.

Jungwoo had joined TaeHa and YooHwan, Taewoon saw when he looked around to find them. The three looked deep in conversation, hopefully working on whatever had made TaeHa so wary about staying here. He glanced toward the door and groaned at another familiar figure - not half as welcome as Chaerin - striding toward him. Instead of waiting, Taewoon went to meet him, to try to keep him away from his people as long as he could. “I’m going to need to talk to all of you,” LeeTeuk said, louder than necessary, already looking through his notebook to find a blank page.

“Of course,” Taewoon said, struggling to keep his dislike of the man hidden. “You’ll have to wait on SeJoon, though.” He pointed to where the white tiger lay, his head on JongKook’s thigh. JongKook still petted him. “He’s asleep.” Taewoon wished he could say that of himself too, but not yet.

LeeTeuk scowled, but Taewoon still caught the fear that flashed across his face before he hid it. “I’ll start with you.”

Taewoon started from the beginning, leaving nothing out. He’d have liked to leave out his own humiliation, but he knew they’d just find out about it and that would make everything iffy. He learned from other people’s mistakes. Only the fact that he HAD to work with LeeTeuk - DooJoon’s words - kept him from smashing his nose when he smirked at the story about how they’d made Taewoon a puppet.

“He should be okay,” Chaerin said, gathering up her supplies. Taewoon turned from watching LeeTeuk interrogate Jungwoo to listen as well. “Tell him not to shift too much for the next week or so, and definitely not before the anesthesia wears off.”

“Thanks, noona,” JongKook said.

“You’re welcome,” she said, and stood up. Taking a paper from her bag, she handed it to him. “This is instructions for care of the stitches. Don’t hesitate to call me for any reason. I need to see him in two weeks to check on the stitches.”

“I’ll tell him,” JongKook said. “Thank you.”

She nodded, and winked at Taewoon on her way out. He grinned back at her.

“I’ll get the van,” SungMin said, sounding almost sick, and Taewoon handed him the keys, knowing he just wanted to get away from the parade of bodies still coming out of the basement.

“I can’t find anything,” TaeHa reported later, sounding frustrated. LeeTeuk interrogated YooHwan, shifting from foot to foot, his eyes fixed on his notebook. Typically, he’d left YooHwan for last. The elves made him nervous, more so than SeJoon, and Taewoon wanted to know that story. “Nothing makes me shudder, not like when we first got in, and I can’t figure it out....”

“Let me try something,” Jungwoo said, and sang a series of discordant notes.

The warehouse changed, back to how it had looked when they’d first come in. YooHwan didn’t skip a beat. “That’s why we didn’t see anything,” he said, gesturing around. “It wasn’t here.” LeeTeuk stared around the warehouse, then went back to his notebook, writing furiously.

TaeHa shuddered. “Yes,” he said. “That’s it.”

“Good, we’ll know to watch for that, then,” Jungwoo said, and sang the series backwards. The warehouse changed again, and TaeHa relaxed.

Even YooHwan had started to show signs of exhaustion by the time LeeTeuk let them go, and the stream of bodies had stopped. SungMin returned with the van and they’d gotten SeJoon inside, with Jungwoo’s help. They hadn’t woken SeJoon in the process, even though JongKook said Chaerin had given local anesthetic. Taewoon explained about what the sorcerer had done, and that worry cleared from JongKook’s face. Some of the officers left behind had watched them with disgusted or disturbed expressions, but Taewoon ignored them. Some people refused to work with a weretiger or a sorcerer, but Taewoon wouldn’t trade any of his team for anything. He like the versatility, and he liked them. He gathered his team with a call, and they all piled in the van to go home. SungMin even willingly handed over the keys so he could curl up and doze in the passenger seat.

 

JongKook woke when SeJoon stirred, and carefully removed the arm from around the tiger before sitting up. “Don’t shift yet,” he said. SeJoon rumbled a growl at him. “Unless your chest isn’t numb anymore. Chaerin-noona didn’t say how long the anesthesia would last. You’ve got stitches where he clawed you.”

SeJoon shifted slowly, something JongKook didn’t get to see often and no one else got to see at all. It left SeJoon far too vulnerable. “Ouch,” he groaned when he’d finished, still laying on the floor. “That hurt.”

JongKook pushed his shirt up to check on the stitches and smiled. “Good,” he said, pulling the shirt back down and leaning over to check his face. That wound had vanished with the shift, thankfully. “They’re still intact. You didn’t pull them.”

“Chaerin-noona?”

“As if Hyung would let anyone else do it.”

SeJoon sighed. “I take it LeeTeuk wants to talk to me?”

“Eventually. Better sooner than later, but it’s midnight and he probably won’t like it if you call him,” JongKook lay down again, reaching up to scratch SeJoon behind the ear.

SeJoon purred. “It’d be fun to do anyway,” he muttered, but his words slurred as JongKook had hoped. Within minutes, he’d gone back to sleep. With a sigh, JongKook lay his arm over SeJoon’s stomach, and went to sleep himself.

DooJoon showed up at their “office” - an old house they still worked to restore - later that day, after LeeTeuk had come and gone again. “We identified most of those kids they’d put in the basement,” he said wearily, sinking down in the chair Taewoon offered him. “You guys earned a substantial reward this time.”

SeJoon perked up suddenly, distracting JongKook from whatever DooJoon said next. “What?” JongKook whispered.

“Meat,” SeJoon said softly, a longing in his voice.

JongKook reached up and scratched him behind the ear; SeJoon tilted his head and purred. “Taewoon-hyung promised you some,” he said, still keeping quiet.

“No, it’s here,” SeJoon said.

“I read LeeTeuk’s notes and did some checking around, with Chaerin and others,” DooJoon said, speaking as much to JongKook as to Taewoon and the others. “Everyone I talked to said red meat was best to help him get his energy back. I brought some in - it should be on the back porch by now.”

“Go ahead,” Taewoon said before SeJoon could even look at him, and SeJoon left the room at an almost dignified walk.

“Thank you,” JongKook said, amused. “From him, too.”

DooJoon grinned. “He may sleep more than usual for the next week, but after that he should fully recover,” he added. JongKook nodded.

After DooJoon left, JongKook wandered out into the backyard. SeJoon had left nothing but a fresh blood stain and well-chewed bones on the porch. JongKook found the tiger stretched out under the shade trees near the back fence. No new blood stained the fur on his chest, thankfully, so he turned and went back inside.

“Is SeJoon okay?” Taewoon asked, and JongKook could only thank the heavens he’d found a leader that would let him take care of SeJoon, and didn’t seem to mind that at all.

“Yes,” he said, shutting the back door. “I think so. He’s sleeping it off.”

“Good.” Taewoon clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank him for me. From what I understand, I wouldn’t have survived the attack from that sorcerer.”

JongKook nodded. “I will,” he said.

 

"They really only want you," DooJoon said, leaning back on the park bench. "You talked to the accused, and you saw everything. The DA will get TaeHa in if they need confirmation on the fight between SeJoon and BaekHo. I'll pull YooHwan in if I have to." He grinned. "They won't like that, but I really don't care."

Taewoon grinned back. "Okay," he said. "When?"

"Starts in a week, so...."

Taewoon sighed. "Time to go over my story?" he asked with a grimace.

DooJoon nodded. "Ad nauseum."

It paid off - because it always did - and in the end, DooJoon had to bring TaeHa and SeJoon. Both of them handled themselves beautifully. It surprised Taewoon - but only a little - to see Chaerin there as well. She winked at him as she stepped by him, and he smiled back at her.

To no one's surprise, the jury convicted the two, the evidence against them overwhelming. Taewoon didn't wait to hear the punishment. He'd done his job, the jury had done theirs. He didn't need to hear the rest.

"Oppa," Chaerin said, and he turned to smile at her. "Are you busy?"

"No plans," he said.

"Want to go for a drink?"

Taewoon offered her his arm, and she took it. "I'd love to," he said, and they left the courthouse without looking back.


End file.
